Scam Alert
A BU student was likely the victim of a scam yesterday when the student parted with $100 to help the nicely dressed gentleman who needed the money for a cab to get to an important meeting because his car had a flat tire.
Over the last several years BU students have been victimized by scam artists posing as a person in distress and needing a large amount of cash. Appealing to the students’ good nature the suspect, usually well-dressed and polite, requests money needed urgently due to some sort of emergency, usually due to a car accident or broken down car. The suspect then offers to go with the unsuspecting victim to the nearest ATM.
While it is not the desire of the BUPD to interfere with acts of kindness and compassion there are certain patterns of behavior that should put you on notice of the possibility that your good nature is being exploited. Requests for large amounts of cash from a stranger on the street is one of those situations. We recommend you refrain from parting with your money in these situations and report the incident as soon as possible to the BUPD (617-353-2121) if it occurs in or around the campus. If the person is truly in need of assistance we can provide them with help.